Telephone attachment



Dec. 5, 1939. R. L. LEMON TELEPHONE ATTACHMENT Filed Dec. 3, 1936 INVENTOR. 4?o eI-Z 1.. Lemom.

A TTORNEYJ'.

Patented Dec. 5, 1939 UNITED STATES ATENT OFFICE TELEPHONE ATTACHMENT 3 Claims.

The present invention relates to improvements in attachments for telephones. It particularly relates to attachments to telephones of the hand-set type and is designed primarily to provide means for maintaining the cord of the receiver-transmitter out of the Way and raised above the table or desk on which the telephone is placed.

A further object of my invention is to provide means for maintaining the receiver-transmitter cord clear of the telephone support without in any way restricting the use of the apparatus.

For the purpose of disclosing my invention, I have illustrated an embodiment thereof in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a structure embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation;

Fig. 3 is a detail sectional view on the line 3-3 of Fi 1;

Fig. 4 is a detail plan of a portion of the clamps;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a telephone showing my invention; and

Fig. 6 is a side elevation of a modified form of my invention.

In the structure illustrated, the attachment is designed primarily for use in connection with the hand-set type of telephone. To this end, I provide a pair of clamping members I and 2, each having at its forward end an arcuate recess 3, the side walls of which are grooved as at 4. When the two clamping members are secured together, the two recesses 3 form a complete circle adapted to embrace the stem of the telephone stand, the grooves being adapted to receive the bead on said stem. At their opposite ends, each of the clamping members is provided with a smaller arcuate recess 6, each recess having in its side walls and extending longitudinally an offset seat 1 for a purpose more fully hereinafter described. The two recesses 6, like the recesses 3, when the two members are clamped together, form a complete circle.

The two members are held in their clamping position through the medium of a screw 8 threaded through one of the members, as at member 2, and into the side wall of the other member, as at member I. This screw not only holds the members together but serves to draw the two members up into tight clamping rela: tion.

Clamped in the recesses 6, formed in the two members I and 2, is a coiled spring 9 which is secured in position by clamping the two memhers I and 2 upon the same, with the recesses B embracing the spring. This spring may be of the ordinary coil spring commercially used on screen doors and like places. The upper end of the spring is twisted out to form a loop 9. Surrounding this spring is a tubular stem I0 having a pair of downwardly extending prongs l l which socket in the ofiset recesses l in the clamping members. Due to this arrangement, the tubular member It), as well as the coiled spring, may be clamped in position. The upper end of this tubular member i0 is provided with a bracket having a pair of forwardly extending arms l2 upturned at their front ends to form a receivertransmitter support.

In operation, the two clamping members are secured in position with their recesses 3 embracing the stem of the telephone. At the same time, the tubular member ID and the coiled spring are clamped in the recesses 6 with these two parts extending vertically upward. The receiver-transmitter cord may be extended through a loop l3 in the bottom of the spring 9 and then up along the side of the spring and through the loop 9' at the top. This arrangement maintains the cord in an elevated position above the desk or stand on which the telephone may be placed and thereby leaving the desk or stand clear, with no danger of the cord dragging over the same when in use. Furthermore, it prevents the cord from becoming twisted and out of shape. At the same time, due to the flexibility of the spring 9, the use of the receiver transmitter is not interfered with in any way nor is the distance to which the receiver-transmitter may be extended from the telephone stand restricted.

It frequently happens when the telephone has been answered, some other person is required on the telephone, than the person answering the same. In order that the person answering the telephone need not hold the same and thus be prevented from attending to his other duties, pending the arrival of the person called, the receiver-transmitter may be dropped on the supporting bracket arms l2, thus holding the line open without the necessity of the receiver-transmitter being placed down on the desk where it would interfere with papers, etc.

In Fig. 6, I have illustrated a modified embodiment of my invention. In this figure, it will be noted that I use the same clamp as shown in Figs. 1 to 5, inclusive, and the same spring 9 illustrated in Figs. 1 to 5. However, instead of stiffening the spring at its lower end, by means of the tu- 55 bular structure Hi, I have inserted a stifiening rod M which may be tightly fitted in the spring 9 and which will extend upwardly to the desired point. In order to provide a bracket similar to the bracket I2, I provide a wire structure consisting of a center coiled portion l5, the ends of the coil being extended in the arms [6 which are bent to provide bracket arms I1.

I claim as my invention:

1. A yieldable support for flexible telephone cords, comprising a pair of separable clamping members having abutting faces, each of said abutting faces having an arcuate recess at one end and a second arcuate recess at the other end smaller in diameter, the recesses when the members are clamped together forming a clamping opening for a portion of a telephone stand and a second clamping opening for a helically coiled spring and a helically coiled spring having means for stifiening the same throughout a portion of its length both clamped in said coiled spring opening between said clamping members and supported thereby in a substantially vertical position.

2. A yieldable support for flexible telephone cords, comprising a pair of separable clamping members having abutting faces, each clamping member having at one end an arcuate recess on its abutting face and at the other end an arcuate recess on its abutting face of smaller diameter, the pairs of recesses when the members are clamped together, forming a telephone clamping recess for the reception of a portion of a telephone stand and a clamping recess for the reception of a coiled spring, and a coiled spring having associated therewith a stiffening member, both secured in said coiled spring receiving recess of the clamping members and supported in a vertical position, said stiffening member having a pair of spaced apart supporting arms at its upper end.

3. A yieldable support for flexible telephone cords, comprising a pair of separable clamping members having abutting faces, each of said abutting faces having formed at one end an arcuate recess and at its opposite end a smaller arcuate recess, said smaller arcuate recess having formed in the walls thereof a vertically extending slot, said recesses when the arms are clamped together, forming respectively a clamping recess for the reception of a portion of the telephone stand and a clamping recess for the reception of a helically coiled spring, a helically coiled spring and a tubular member surrounding said spring for a portion of its length both clamped in said coiled spring recess of the clamping members, the tubular member being provided with extending arms adapted to be received in the vertically extending recesses of the clamping members.

ROBERT L. LEMON. 

